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Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Challenge of Music

We were challenged to find a piece of instrumental music that spoke to our soul.The goal was to find a piece without any choral accompaniment, so that we had the freedom to interpret the colors, textures, shapes, movements or images that it evokes.

This song has always been one of my favorites. Even back in the 80's when I was sporting a paper white mohawk and dancing to imported industrial vinyl, it spoke to me.

It makes me think of New York and Chicago in the 1920's when steel was king and we were a hopeful, industrious nation.

My goal with this piece was to give it a retro industrial art deco kind of feel. I love to work with steel wire so I fashioned steel beams that are connected by copper rivets. These rivets allow the rigid steel beams to have movement. I chose to frame a beautiful vintage Russian stamp that has an amazing industrial deco image from 1970. The pendant is allowed to move across its' beam via a bail crafted from a link of steel bicycle chain.

close~ up of pendant

When I was two years old my Mom, Dad, Grandmother (aka Great-mother!) and I drove to New York for the 1964 World's Fair. I have a few remembrances of this trip to New York. I remember the elevated train tracks in Brooklyn (apparently, we got lost), the Ford Magic Skyway and the Unisphere. So, it seemed appropriate to add a vintage teal carnival token to the back of the pendant.

close-up of the back ~ a vintage carnival ticket

The necklace is finished with linked chain and a clasp that are hand-crafted from steel and copper wire.

Wow, Pam, this music, while familiar to my ears, took on a new flavour as I read your text accompanied by the piece. I love the "steel edge" you have added in your inspiration necklace. I was strangely moved by the Cold War Era Soviet postage stamp. A child of the 60s, I grew up in a Canadian military family, and my Dad was an avid stamp collector. I remember those striking images of communist "might".

Love your take on the music, which evokes something I have a dear love-hate relationship to: art deco (which never got a real breakthrough in Sweden) and that retro industrial style. It's growing on me and therefore I really liked seeing your necklace and your take on that style. It really is contemporary, but still spot on for the music and that era. Really great job!

Wow = WOW - WOW. I am just bowled over by this piece of jewelry. It's got everything going for it. The stamp is a given for me - I am of Russian ancestory. But the steel connections and way you made the necklace for it are so totally cool. It's industial - but not. It's so in keeping with the way Russia saw itself moving after the revolution. Bravo!!!

Such a powerful piece of music to use for inspiration. I love how you interpreted it in the different elements of your necklace. I am in love with the chain (how'd you do that?), and the bicycle chain link bail is the perfect finishing touch to your beautiful pendant. Great job!

I love your necklace! I remake and repurpose jewelry too. I’m part of the bead soup party. Looking forward to the reveals. I'm now following you. I have a new blog. Please consider following my jewelry blog. Thanks.http://vintagememoriesjewelry.blogspot.com